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Tenth honor flight honors Boulder County veterans

By Richard "Dick" Life

Posted:
05/04/2013 01:00:00 AM MDT

Consider freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and to petition the government, plus additional protections expressed in our U.S. Constitution. By whom, and how were these precious rights, and the American economy and life style, preserved when threatened by Japanese militarism, and Hitler's Nazi totalitarianism? Today, it seems the majority of us take our freedoms and rights for granted. Peruse this glimpse of history, then on Sunday, join Coloradans along the Front Range in saluting those who, in decades past, made our todays and tomorrows possible.

According to the Departments of Defense and Veteran's Affairs, of the 16.1 million American men and women who served worldwide during World War II, 1941-45, more than 405,000 died, nearly 672,000 were injured, 124,000 were POWs, and 30,000 are still missing in action. WWII veterans are 85 to 100-plus years of age, and nationwide they are dying at about 900 per day. In 1950, communist North Korea invaded our ally, South Korea. We led United Nations forces in protecting the democratic South, communist China joined the North, and President Truman threatened to use atomic bombs. A truce was reached in 1953. Of the 5.7 million Americans who served worldwide, 1950-53, in Korea more than 54,000 died, 103,000 were injured, 7,000 were POWs, and 8,000 MIA.

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Dry statistics partially answer the questions posed above. But who went to war? Every individual who died, was injured, survived atrocities committed in POW camps, and is forever missing, was a fellow American. They, and those who returned home, were members of all races, religions, and educational and economic backgrounds. They came from farms, ranches, towns, and cities of all sizes across our great nation. They were our grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, friends and neighbors. They sacrificed to ensure that our unique experiment with representative democracy, launched in the mid-1770s, endures.

Honor Flight Northern Colorado (HFNC) is one of some 110 "hubs" in the national program that takes veterans of WWII, and the Korean War era, to Washington, D.C., to visit their memorials. HFNC is a non-profit organization of hundreds of volunteers who take these veterans on a two-day trip at no cost to the veterans.

Commencing in September 2008 and flying every May and September, to date nearly 1,200 veterans have made this journey. On May 5-6, 122 veterans -- 17 are from the Boulder-Longmont area -- and 60 "guardians", including Debby Paris of Longmont making her seventh trip, will comprise our 10th Honor Flight. Their adventure will commence at the Embassy Suites Convention Center, I-25 and Crossroads Blvd. Please see honorflightnortherncolorado.org.

At about 8:25 a.m. our "caravan" departs Embassy Suites enroute to DIA. Join the "Mile of Smiles" at the Air Life helipad, Frederick-Firestone Center, 8426 Kosmerl Place. At the Longmont exit, take Hwy 119 to the east frontage road, then south to an underpass, and west to the flags and folks. The line up begins at 8:15 a.m. Police and sheriff department escorts, followed by Patriot Guard and American Legion motorcyclists, lead the four buses chartered from CSU to carry our treasured veterans. Wave flags, display signs, cheer, applaud and hand salute, honoring these men and women to whom we owe much gratitude. We know well that the presence of so many enthusiastic supporters along the route brings some veterans to tears -- and this ride is one of the highlights they will recount to family and friends at every telling.

Will Rogers" "We can't all be heroes. Some of us have to stand on the curb and clap as they go by."

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